Here’s a thought…
“If they can get you asking the wrong questions, they don’t have to worry about the answers.”
THOMAS PYNCHON
Larsen outlines local priorities for Fiscal Year 2024 defense policy bill
||| FROM THE OFFICE OF REP. RICK LARSEN ||| WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Rep. Rick Larsen (WA-02) outlined his local priorities for inclusion in the Fiscal Year 2024 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) during the House Armed Services Committee’s Member Day hearing. Larsen’s priorities include: Jet Noise Reduction Research Larsen has long worked
Letter to Editor | What a great night at the theater with Actors Theater
||| FROM MARC COHEN and ELEANOR HOAGUE ||| We've just come from a wonderful theatrical performance and want to let our friends and neighbors know about it. Doug Bechtel and the Actors Theater are putting on an entertaining and thought-provoking play, The Tin Woman, now through May 28, at the
GiveOrcas is now in the final two days
||| FROM HILARY CANTY for ORCAS ISLAND COMMUNITY FOUNDATION ||| We are down to the last two days of the GiveOrcas campaign. It has been a wild ride. Over 700 friends and neighbors have donated- a new record for Orcas! So far, $225,000 has been raised, two proposals have been
‘Extremely rare’ white orca spotted in the wild
||| FROM NEWSWEEK ||| A "beautiful" and "extremely rare" light-colored orca has been spotted in waters off the coast of Japan. As seen in images captured by a local sightseeing company, the male orca lacks the distinctive black markings that are characteristic of killer whales. Instead, the orca appears pale,
Review: Local author pens new book
||| FROM JENS KRUSE ||| It is a pleasure to review a book by a fellow islander, Michael Hurwicz’s Leonid Hurwicz: Intelligent Designer: How War and the Great Depression Inspired a Nobel Economist (Cherry Orchard Books: Boston, 2023), published on May 9. At the beginning of his “Epilogue,” Hurwicz says:
Deadline to file for Port Commissioner is Friday
||| FROM KIM KIMPLE for PORT OF ORCAS || The Port of Orcas Board of Commissioner’s has two seats open in the 2023 November General Election. Those interested in filing for candidacy can find more information HERE. The deadline to file for candidacy is Friday, May 15th at 4:00 p.m.
Kindergarten transition turns 15
||| BY MEGAN EHRMANTRAUT for ORCAS COMMUNITY RESOURCE CENTER ||| Carrying on a 15 year tradition, the Orcas Community Resource Center (OCRC) was excited to host Orcas’ annual Kindergarten Transition event celebrating kids who are making the big leap to kindergarten in the fall. All preschool children, regardless of which
Floating Ukulele Jam time is fast approaching
||| FROM ANITA ORNE for JP AND THE OK RHYTHM BOYS ||| It’s Floating Ukulele Jam time again! Grab your uke, your voice, a song or two to share, and your friends and relations and join us on the interisland ferry on the traditional Third Thursday of the month –
POP UP Tour at Turtleback Mountain Preserve Garry Oak area
||| FROM TANJA WILLIAMSON for SJC LAND BANK ||| The weather and the wildflowers are at PEAK fun! Orcas Preserve Steward, Peter Guillozet, will host a pop up tour THIS WED. Attached is a flyer for for the tour. Event link: https://sjclandbank.org/event/evening-tour-of-garry-oak-restoration-area-turtleback-mountain-preserve/ If you think it’s something you’d like to share with
Gardening questions, plant problems addressed at Driftwood Nursery next week
||| FROM DIANNE MACONDRAY for WSU MASTER GARDENERS ||| Please join us at Lorna’s Driftwood Nursery on Wednesday, May 24th. from 11:00 - 1:00 with your gardening questions, plant problems and plant and insect identification needs. The WSU Master Gardeners of San Juan County will be there to help you.
Crime fiction fan? Don’t miss this library event
||| FROM SAM GAILEY for ORCAS ISLAND LIBRARY ||| Do you like to read crime fiction? Or are you an inspiring crime fiction writer? Please join the Orcas Island Public Library on Saturday, May 20, at 4 p.m. for A Nicer Kind of Murder: The Evolution of Crime Fiction. What does
Would you like to provide customer feedback on possible ferry fare changes?
||| FROM STATE TRANSPORTATION COMMISSION ||| The Washington State Transportation Commission is looking for customer feedback on possible ferry fare changes that would be implemented starting this fall. As part of the two-year state budget cycle, the state Legislature sets the requirement for how much revenue must be generated from
Salish Sea Chronicles | Constant change: SRKW, Biggs, Humpback whales
||| SALISH SEA CHRONICLES by NATE AVERNA ||| As a kid, I can remember watching our Southern Resident orca almost exclusively. Humpback whales did not frequent the Salish Sea after decades of population decline from whaling. Mammal eating orca (Biggs orca) seldom visited our local waterway due to the seal
Senior Center offering art classes, Meeting of the Minds, speech pathology
||| FROM LENA KASSA for ORCAS SENIOR CENTER ||| Art with Carla – Fridays, 1-3 p.m. Are you interested in exploring your artistic side? Art with Carla, Fridays, 1-3 p.m. at Orcas Senior Center, is lighthearted fun, structured around process, with an emphasis on you CAN do it! Folks of
Fire Commission to hold regular meeting on Monday
||| FROM KAT BARNARD for ORCAS FIRE COMMISSIONERS ||| The Board of Fire Commissioners will hold a REGULAR MEETING on Monday, May 15, at 3:00 p.m. online via Zoom and in-person at the Fire Hall, 45 Lavender Ln, Eastsound, WA. The Zoom call can be accessed on the Resolution 2023-07 2023-05-15 Board Packet.
PeaceHealth Peace Island Medical Center achieves re-designation as Level IV Trauma Center
||| FROM ANNE WILLIAMS for PEACEHEALTH PEACE ISLAND MEDICAL CENTER ||| PeaceHealth Peace Island Medical Center has achieved re-designation as a Level IV Trauma Center following a review by the Washington State Department of Health. The re-designation demonstrates PeaceHealth Peace Island's commitment to providing the highest possible level of care
